6 Benefits of Baby Wearing & the 2 Best Newborn Carriers
Are you a newly postpartum parent who feels like your hands are always full, both literally and metaphorically? What if I told you that I could guarantee your baby cries less AND your hands are free? Enter baby wearing!
I am Mel Haley, a full spectrum doula at Wyld Garden, and I am delighted to be talking to you a little bit about the benefits of babywearing. Read to the end to see my 3 favorite carriers!
What is Baby Wearing?
People have been wearing their babies all over the world for literally ever. The act of using some cloth or device to strap your little one to your body is not new, and came from a place of necessity. People needed to keep their children close and safe. Now, people typically use a wrap or carrier that is mass produced and tested for safety, but there are plenty of people out there just using a fabric cloth.
Why Baby Wear?
There are many benefits of wearing your baby, so let’s get into it.
Fewer missed cues: babies have very predictable behaviors when they are hungry and sleepy. When parents wear their babies they are much less likely to miss those cues, which means your baby is fussy less often. Fewer missed cues means less crying!
Higher success rates of nursing: since you are less likely to miss your baby’s hunger cues, you’re more likely to feed them often and on demand: very important aspects of the feeding relationship!
You get your hands back: don’t underestimate the value of getting one or both hands back. New parents will often work so hard to bounce and rock their little one to sleep and then feel that they can’t move once they finally have a sleepy baby (affectionately known as being “nap trapped”). If you soothe your baby in a carrier, they are all settled in when they fall asleep.
Recovery: after being pregnant for 9 months the best thing you can do for your body is to rest. When you are active, wearing your baby is the next-closest thing to being pregnant again which allows for some gentle a way for you to most closely mimic being pregnant while you are healing and transitioning to non-pregnancy.
Womb-like: Dr. Harvey Karp is always pointing out that babies would really prefer to be in the womb for 12 months instead of 9. Since they can’t have that (I don’t love imagining birth of a 12 month fetus), we can help them out by wearing them. Wearing your baby gives them many of the same aspects of the womb: they can hear your heartbeat, it's warm and a little less overstimulating, your voice and smell are nearby, and they are nice and snug.
Co-regulation: When you and your baby are all snuggled up together, your bodies and your nervous systems co-regulate. You help each other stay calm. This is why it feels so good to hold a baby! Who doesn’t need a little help with their nervous system while newly postpartum?
What are my Favorite Carriers?
As someone who teaches baby wearing, I have more than 30 carriers. So, which ones do I like the best?
Wraps
For a newborn, the best baby wearing tool is a stretchy wrap. My personal favorite brand is Beluga Baby for the quality of the wrap and because it is a small business. These wraps allow you to fully customize sizing because you are tying the wrap according to your baby and your body. I also like that you can tuck the baby’s head in while they are sleeping and then you are hands free. You can safely wear your baby in a wrap up to 25 pounds, but most people use these for about 3 months before they find they need more padding and support as an adult.
Meh Dais
This is a carrier style that originated in China and is sort of a hybrid between a wrap and a more structured carrier. I love these because they have no plastic, no buckles, no fussing. You tie 2 knots, which is a skill that humans are taught early and often. The extra padding in the shoulders helps you stay comfortable when carrying a larger baby. This is the perfect next-carrier when your baby gets too heavy for the wrap. You can front and back carry with a Meh Dai so they are perfect as your baby gets more curious about the world. My favorite brand is Helina Baby.
Check on Dr. Kate’s recommendations on safe baby wearing here.